


Knight's vow

by LoneWolf97



Category: RWBY
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22942030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWolf97/pseuds/LoneWolf97
Summary: After the Fall of Beacon, Jaune Arc embarks on a journey to seek revenge on the one responsible for his partner's death. However, revenge can lead to a dark path and it will be up to his friends to save Jaune from himself.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Arc/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37





	1. A Maiden's Fall

**Author's Note:**

> So, I watched all RWBY seasons and I love it. Juane has definitely become my favorite character and my favorite ships are White Knight and Arkos (I also enjoy Lancaster, but I'm very picky about it). I've been wanting to write this since the end of Volume 4, but I decided to watch the rest of the seasons before putting it on paper. So, here we go.

**Devilman Crybaby- From here to eternity**

Jaune struggled with all his might to exist push the door of the locker room open but to no avail. All he could do was watch helplessly as his partner put in the coordinated to Vale to make sure she would live.

“Pyrrha, please, don’t do this,” he begged. She was the strongest person in their year, the 4 times Minstral Champion in a row. Yet despite all those feats, there was no guarantee that she could win against that woman, Cinder, who defeated the Headmaster.

The sad smile she had showed told him that she knew this as well. "Jaune…I love you…” she said and causing his trashing to stop.

A second later the locker was launched.

_No! This can’t be happening!_

Jaune punched the door with all his strength, but no matter how hard he punched, the door wouldn’t budge. All he ever achieved was to consume his Aura

_Come on! Come on! I can’t let it end like this! I’m her partner. I’m supposed to watch her back!_

He kept punching, his fist covered in a white glow. He managed to make a fist-sized dent in the locker.

_I can't let her die! I won't! My dream is to become a hero! How can I be a hero if I can save the ones that are important to me?!_

The glow grew brighter and his whole body was glowing. He kept punching until he was able to rip the door open. Jaune jumped out of the locker and hit the ground hard, however his aura protected him. He groaned as he stood up and noticed that except for his head, his body was covered in white armor, with a white cape fluttering behind him.

”Jaune! Is that you? Are you alright?” Weiss’s voice came from his scroll.

“Weiss! You’ve got to save Pyrrha! She’s going atop the tower to fight Cinder! You’ve got to save her! Please! I’ll be there as soon as I can!” he said, desperately.

“I will, but what about you?”

“FORGET ABOUT ME!” he roared. He doesn’t matter. Only Pyrrha does.

He grabbed his sword and dashed towards the tower with all his speed. Some Grimm blocked his path and Jaune drew his sword and cut through them without stopping. Some Beowolves and Ursai swiped at him, but Jaune took their hits head-on. He didn't bring out his shield, it would have just slowed him down. He arrived at the front of the tower and from the corner of his eye, he saw Ruby and Weiss battling Grimm and rogue Paladins. Some of those Grimms put themselves between him and his objective.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!” he roared as he cut them down.

With a mighty jump, he started to wall jump on the tower to reach the top where Pyrrha was fighting. In two minutes he reached the top and he saw her. Battered, bruised and on her knees, but still alive. When she looked at him, he smiled in relief. He had done it. He managed to arrive in time and save her. Suddenly the sound of pierced flesh echoed on the rooftop and he looked in horror at the arrow that was in her chest. He turned his head to the left and he saw the one who did this. Cinder was smiling maliciously at her defeated opponent, her posture screamed arrogance and victory. She didn’t even notice him, which turns out was a mistake. The look of horror on Jaune’s face was replaced with one of absolute anger as the final piece of the armor, the helm, covered his head. He didn’t notice that he poured his Aura into his sword until it glowed white. With a roar he swung his sword at Cinder, releasing a blade beam at his enemy. Cinder saw the attack too late. A large explosion followed and Cinder was blown out of the rooftop. The attack was so great that even the Grimm Wyvern was hit, losing his eye. While the beast roared in pain, Jaune quickly grabbed Pyrrha and jumped from the tower. He used his sword to slow down their descent, almost destroyed the ancestral blade. When they were close to the ground, he pushed against the tower and launched himself forward and broke the remaining fall distance with a roll at the cost of dropping Crocea Mors. He didn’t care. As long as Pyrrha was safe he would gladly give up the weapon. Once he stopped rolling, he sprinted towards the evacuation point with all his remaining strength. 

“Hold on, Pyrrha! We’re almost there!” said Jaune.

“Jaune…” she called out weakly.

“Don’t talk. Save your strength.”

“Jaune…” she called again, even weaker. This time she reached out with her hand and touched his armored cheek, causing him to stop and look at her. “I…I’m happy…that I got to see you…one last time,” she said, her hand falling limb and her eyes glossing over.

“No! Pyrrha! Hang in there! We’re so close! Come on!” he said as he desperately shook her, but it was no use.

Pyrrha died.

Jaune stared at her body as his heart shattered, a pain he had never experienced before overwhelmed him. He fell to his knees and let out an anguish filled cry.

* * *

**Devilman Crybaby- From here to eternity (Strong** version)

He didn’t know when he got up and moving again, he didn’t know why he got up, but he figured it had to do with the natural human instinct: survival. His armor has vanished some time ago. Regardless, he got up and arrived at the evacuation site.

Nora was the first to see him. “Jaune! You made it! And you brought…” her words died in her mouth and her eyes widen as she saw the state of his partner: bloodied and lifeless. “No…No! It can’t be!”

“Jaune!” another voice called behind him as Ruby and Weiss arrived. “Thank goodness you’re alright! How’s Pyrrha?" she asked before noticing the looks of people in front of her, all of them looked horrified and shocked. When he finally looked at him, she realized why everyone was on the verge of crying.

Eventually, the dam broke and so did everyone. Nora sobbed in Ren's chest as her partner held her and cried silently. Ruby hugged Weiss and cried in her shoulder, while the heiress put a hand over her mouth to stop the sobs from coming out, but the tears flowed freely from her eyes. Blake was crying too while Sun put a comforting hand on her shoulder while he closed his eyes to stop the tears from coming out.

Jaune was doing his best statue impersonation. He watched as his friends cried while holding onto his partner's body, as numbness consumed him. He felt nothing. If the world were to be destroyed at that moment, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. And in a way, his world had come to an end. Beacon and Vale were destroyed, Pyrrha was dead. What remained? Nothing. Eventually, they had been transported to the safe zone in Vale. He was still cradling Pyrrha’s body as he refused any medical assistance he was offered. Everyone else had left him alone, as each grieved in their own way. Good. He didn’t want to be around anyone. Suddenly, the sound of high heels clicking softly pierced through the silence that surrounded him.

“I…I’ve brought you your sword. You left it near the tower,” she said in a soft voice, that he never would have thought her capable of doing.

He said nothing, he didn't even acknowledge her. Weiss reached out her hand to touch him but stopped when it was close to his shoulder as if a force field surrounded him which stopped her from reaching him. She clenched and unclenched her hand a couple of times as if she struggled against the force field. She lower her hand when she heard footsteps coming their way. She turned and saw Professor Goodwitch with two Atlasian soldiers flanking her.

"Mr. Arc," she spoke professionally, however, Weiss could see the cracks in her façade. After all, one of her students died and despite what people believed Glynda Goodwitch cared a lot about her students. “We need to take Ms. Nikos…body.”

Weiss saw Jaune tense up immediately and pulled Pyrrha closer to his chest. He raised his head to glare hatefully at his teacher and the heiress realized that he wouldn’t hesitate to attack if someone were to take Pyrrha from him.

Professor Goodwitch realized this too. "Mr. Arc," she began softly as she could. "Miss Nikos's parents would like to see her daughter…and plan for her funeral. They deserve to see her."

Jaune lowered his head. _She’s right. They deserve to see her and say their goodbyes. She said that she’s from Minstral, but from where, I don’t know. And I’ll never find out again. I feel like I barely knew her. She’s been my partner and I barely knew her. I’m the worst._

He got up with Pyrrha in his arms. “Lead the way,” was all his said.

Glynda accepted this and lead the young Arc towards one of the transports. Jaune was completely unaware of two sapphire-colored eyes that watched him with concern and sadness.

Jaune entered the transport and gently laid Pyrrha in an open cryogenic pod that would preserve her body. The pod closed, but Jaune didn't move. He didn't want to move, he didn't want to let go, to say goodbye. But he had to. 

His professor gave his arm a gentle tug to gain his attention. “They need to go.”

He nodded and exited the ship

 _This is goodbye, Pyrrha_ , he thought as he watched the ship rise and eventually disappear in the horizon.

Not knowing where to go, he wondered back where he was moments ago.

“Jaune!" a voice called, a voice he could barely recognize. The boy turned and saw what most people describe as an older version of himself. The man had shorter, whiter blonde hair than him, bags under his eyes due to stress and sleep deprivation. He was taller than Jaune and more muscular and wore armor similar to his own. “Jaune!” the man called again when he saw him and quickly rushed to him. “Jaune, thank the gods you are okay!” the man exclaimed as he hugged him.

“Dad…” Jaune whispered, feeling completely tired and broken.

His dad pulled back to look at him and what he saw made him gasp softly. His son's eyes were full of life and happiness, but now they were empty and lifeless. If not for the fact that he was breathing, the boy can easily pass as a corpse. "Jaune…” he said softly before hugging him again.

Jaune didn’t return the hug. He stood there like a statue. And just like a statue, he didn’t feel anything.


	2. Vow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been a while since the first chapter and I'm really sorry for the long delay. While I won't post weekly, I don't intend to let more than a month pass before a new chapter. I hope everyone is alright in these hard times. Stay safe!

Jaune hit the ground with a loud thud. His father stood above him, a sword in each hand as he looked at him with concern.

“Perhaps we should take a break,” suggested the older Arc.

“No,” said his son with a groan as he stood up. “My aura is still in yellow. I can take it.”

Jaune lowered himself in a stance shield up to protect himself. It has been two weeks since Beacon fell since he asked his father to train him. The older man looked at him for the longest moment before he agreed.

_I guess he realized that I would train on my own. Maybe he also figured out what I want to do._

The numbness Jaune felt that fateful day hadn't disappeared and it will probably never will. He will forever be incomplete. However, something else took root in him, something born from that numbness. A spark. No, a flame. A flame that burned within him. Jaune Arc made a vow. A vow to find and kill Cinder Fall.

And an Arc never goes back on his word.

His father sighed before preparing himself. Jaune made the first move. It wasn’t normally his style, he would usually play defensive, rather than offensive, but he had come to learn that whoever made the first move had the most chances to catch his or her opponent off-balance, thus gaining the upper hand. That was his plan, to catch Cinder off guard, just like he did back on the top of the tower. Of course, this tactic worked on those who didn't see it coming or the less experienced. His father was neither of those things. The older Arc easily blocked the first few strikes before counter-attacked. Jaune managed to block the first strike and dodge the second, however, his father didn't let him put the distance between them. Jaune knew that he had no time to raise his shield to block or be fast enough to dodge it, so he did the only thing he thought might throw his father off balance. He threw his shield at the man’s face. It had worked, as his old man was forced to stop advancing and block the shield with his left hand. Seeing his opening, Jaune swung his sword forward, ready to disarm his opponent. If it had been a fellow student from Beacon, that attack might have worked, however, his father was a trained Huntsman with over 20 years of experience. The older Arc blocked the attack with ease and Jaune felt disappointed at himself. He hadn't even managed to force his father to use his Semblance. Neither Arcs used their Semblance in this fight as they were just practicing their swordsmanship skills. As such, Jaune considered that if the older Arc was forced to his Semblance he might have improved quite a bit.

_Oh well. Real progress doesn’t happen overnight._

They kept trading blows for a while, with Jaune barely being able to keep up with his father, until the older Arc decided to end the spar.

"Your speed and reaction time need more work. Still, you've come a long way and you stopped that nasty habit of putting too much force into your swings," his father commented as he helped up. "That shield throw was a good way to throw me off-balance, but it's risky against skilled opponents as you've noticed. It leaves you without defensive options.”

"About that, I also want to learn how to defend without a shield."

“Why?”

“The shield slows me down. I need to be faster.”

_Also, what’s the point of a shield if you can’t defend the people you love with it?_

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” said the older Arc.

That was fine with Jaune. It didn’t matter how long it took to find and kill Cinder. A mouth, a year, 10 years. She won’t escape him. He was fully committed to this path.

_A week later_

It seems that having massive amounts of Aura was an Arc thing. Which is good for Jaune considering the training his father put him through. A part of the man’s training regime is Aura manipulation. The purpose of this type of training is to make sure you constantly have your Aura activated so that a surprise attack wouldn't kill you. It has taken him quite a few tries but in the end, he managed to keep his Aura up at all the time, except when he was asleep. Very few Huntsmen can keep their Aura up during slumber, that's why most of them were light sleepers. Another thing he learned from his father. Furthermore, Huntsmen tend to pump some Aura into their limbs to increase their speed and strength. Jaune always wondered how his friends managed to do such incredible moves. He always assumed that they did because they were so well trained. It was partially true of course. A Huntsman needed to be in top condition to be able to some of the more risky moves as the amount of aura that is used to strengthen the limbs wasn't that much and the body could break if the person was not careful. Of course, they were those who could do such feats without the need of Aura, but those people have honed their bodies to the limit. Jaune wasn't one of those people, so he needed Aura to do it. Currently, he was racing with his father through the forest of Patch, the village the two of them had taken residence over the last couple of weeks. His old man was in the lead, but Jaune was quickly gaining behind him. He briefly considered activating his Semblance to win but decided against it as he didn't feel his body would be able to handle the stress. His Semblance is quite simple. The armor offered increased protection and double everything about him: agility, endurance, strength, and Aura. However, there is a catch: Aura consumption is also doubled. However, while incredibly useful despite the small drawback, Jaune decided not to rely solely on his armor. That’s why he worked his body until he dropped. There were times when his father had to drag him to bed.

“You almost won,” he complimented as he crossed the invisible finish line first. “But almost is not good enough, you know that, right?”

Jaune nodded as he caught his breath.

His father nodded in approval. “Good. Once your breathing is under control, drop and give me 20.”

That was the punishment for losing the race. The reward was a five-minute break. So far, Jaune never won. Once he was done, the father and son spared for a bit before taking a lunch break. After that Jaune worked to improve his body before sparing with his father. For the last exercise, Jaune’s father pulled out a gun. Jaune grimaced at it and from the look on the older Arc, he felt the same. Both of them had no love for guns. They were useful, true, but they didn't like them. Of course, Jaune needed to do something about opponents who prefer to keep their distance, but that was for another time. Since Jaune asked his father to teach him how to block and parry with a sword, he had learned how to defend himself just as well as he did with a shield. However, there was something that couldn’t block without his trusty shield: bullets. While the shield protected him against bullets, it left him immobile or stopped his momentum. That wasn’t good, so the Arc duo decided to it was time to learn how to deflect bullets with his sword. They started with a normal handgun; non-automatic with a 7 bullets magazine. Jaune pumped Aura into his arms and eyes, to see the bullets coming. He blocked all 7 bullets with ease.

“Very good. Now we can move on to semi-automatic,” his father said.

This time the gun had 15 bullet magazine and for his first time, he blocked 10 bullets out of 15. Not bad for a beginner, but it could use some improvement. The bullets used were normal ones so they won't be able to pierce Aura, however, Huntsmen carried dust modified bullets that can pierce through Aura with just one shot. He needed to be better.

The next day he met with Nora and Ren. While they don’t see each other regularly, they do meet up at least once a week. There is a gloom that's hanging around them, the cause clear but none spoke about it. They avoided the subject like the plague. Nora tried her best to keep the boys' spirits up, but there were times when there was a pause that brought the gloom back.

“So, what have you been doing?” Jaune asks.

“We have been training, worked on our strengths and weaknesses,” responded the calm Ren.

He nodded and took a moment to look at them. They weren’t meeting his eyes and the gloom that was around them was heavier than ever. “Is something wrong?”

“We…we received a package. It’s for you,” Ren said.

He followed his two teammates to the room they occupied in the village. A box was in the middle of the room. He opened it and he forgot to breathe. Inside the box was what remained of Miló and Akoúo̱ and the red slash she wore around her waist.

“The salvage teams found them,” clarified Ren, as he choked down a sob.

“I…I see,” was all he could say, his throat was tight and his vision was a bit foggy.

Nora hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder. Ren enveloped them both in his arms as he cried silently. Tears were flowing freely from his eyes as his body shook, his hands grasping Nora and Ren.

_A week later_

Jaune stood in his armor, sword at the ready. He channeled Aura into his sword until I glowed white. Once down, he swung down at the boulder that was in front of him, cleaving it in two. Nora and Ruby's eyes were wide with amazement, while Ren and his father showed pride at the feat.

“That was so cool,” squealed Nora as she approached him.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. You could have smashed the boulder with your hammer," he said humbly, his voice distorted by the helm.

“Yeah, but not with a single strike! Even if I were to infuse Aura!”

“She’s right! That was amazing!” Ruby joined in. “I’ve seen Yang’s punch pulverize boulders before, but never on a first strike.”

“How’s your Aura levels?” his father asked.

Jaune pulled out his scroll. “I put 25% of my Aura into the blade and I keep losing 2% for as long as I keep putting Aura into Crocea Mors.”

His father nodded. “Alright. So, if we do a quick calculation, your Aura should be depleted in 10 minutes, maybe 15 if you lower the amount of Aura you put into your blade. Now let’s see if you can blade beam.”

Jaune did just that. He swung his sword and Aura beams come out of it, cutting trees as if they were made of jelly. Jaune turned towards another boulder and swung at it. The beams cut into it without a problem.

Ruby and Nora were jumping up and down, cheering him saying how awesome he was. Ren nodded at him with a happy smile and his dad was beaming with pride.

“Alright, take a break for now,” his old man said.

Jaune deactivated his Semblance and went to Ruby.

“Jaune, that was incredible!” she said, amazed.

“Thank you,” he said, feeling a bit awkward at being praised. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Well, first I wanted to ask how things are going with the rebuilding of Vale and Beacon. I know your uncle is helping."

“Things are slow, but that’s to be expected. Though, I doubt anyone would want to live in Vale anymore with the Grimm Wyvern still alive. From what I heard it has hibernated since you gauged out his eye, but it’s still spawning Grimm.”

He nodded. “I have thought about some modification for Crocea Mors and I need your expertise. And I could also use some better armor.”

Ruby’s eyes shone.

* * *

“Can you please teach me how to dual wield?” Jaune asked his father during their afternoon training session. His teammates had left to do…whatever they did together and Ruby went home to work on the design for his weapon upgrade.

“Are you planning on getting another sword?” his father asked.

“Sort of. I’ve thought about doing some modifications to Crocea Mors if…if that’s alright with you,” he said feeling like he was a small child once again asking his father to train him.

Unlike last time his answer was different now. “It’s your weapon now, Jaune. You can do whatever you want with it. Of course, I'll train you,” he said with a smile. “I’m curious though, what modifications you thought about.”

“Well, I’ve thought about…”

_Seven months later_

His father’s Semblance is a powerful one, one that can overwhelm most opponents in a matter of seconds. The Semblance is so powerful that Jaune believed even Cinder would have a hard time against it. His old man could have become one of the most powerful and respected Hunters in Vale, instead, the man only did missions with moderate difficulty. Jaune was very puzzled why his dad wouldn't take any missions harder than moderate with bigger and better rewards. Of course, his father's Semblance didn't come without any drawbacks. It took a bit of time to activate it, about 30 seconds at most, and if his concentration is broken during that time it won't activate and would need to start the process again. It also consumed quite a lot of Aura and he can use it once a day for a limited time only. His father also dual-wielded swords and his style were based around faints and false openings to lure his enemies into traps. Jaune fell for those traps too many times to count.

Jaune and his father were sparing in the forest. This time both of them were fighting to their fullest capabilities. Jaune was in his armor, gripping his sword in one hand while the other stood at his side ready to activate the shield at a moment’s notice. His father stood opposite of him with a curved sword in each hand in what an untrained person would say a casual stance. Jaune knew better. His father was ready to block and counter anything thrown at him. His father’s body began to glow white, a sign that he was activating his Semblance. Jaune wasted no more time. He charged and when he was halfway of his opponent he broke into a slide followed by an upward slash. His dad didn’t expect that, but the older Arc was quick enough to reach by jumping back and block the attack. Jaune didn’t relent. He attacked his father relentlessly, each strike blocked. Jaune thrust his sword at the man’s chest, but it was pushed to the side by his father’s blade. His other blade was about to come on his head, but it was blocked at the last second by his shield. He pushed him back and slashed at his abdomen, only for the strike to be blocked by one of the curved swords. Jaune used his shield to bash his father away.

Jaune’s father quickly recovered from his son’s attack and sighed at the tactical error his son made. In creating space between them Jaune had allowed him to activate his Semblance. This match was over, or so he thought.

Jaune released a beam from his sword, but what surprised his dad was that the beam was not meant for him, but from something above. The experienced Hunter’s instincts told him to roll, avoiding the tree branch that would have fell on him.

The branch wouldn’t have hurt him, or even scratch his Aura and that wasn’t even the point of the attack. Jaune tried to break his concentration and he had succeeded by playing at his instincts. His lips twitched into a proud smile, but he stopped himself. The fight is not over yet, though Jaune had a good advantage so far.

Jaune charged again, with a wide swing at his father’s midsection, but it was easily repelled. His father counter-attacked with an elbow to his face, but Jaune anticipated it and blocked it with his shield. He quickly bashed his father in the face with the shield and swept his legs from under him. He pointed his sword at his father’s head, but he wasn’t foolish enough to relax just yet. It wouldn’t be the first time his father managed to score victory from an unfavorable position.

“I yield,” the older Arc said with a proud smile as he got up. “You’ve come a long way son. But don’t get complacent, there’s always room to improve.”

“I know. Thank you, dad,” he said with a small smile.

“You’re leaving tomorrow, right?” his father asked, to which Jaune nodded. “Go to bed early and double-check if you have everything."

“What will you do after I’m gone?”

“I’ll go back to Ansel. I’ve got to look after your mom and sisters and I can do that a bit easier knowing you can handle yourself out there.”

He nodded. “Tell them I said ‘Hi’ and that I love them.”

“I will. I’m going to go and say goodbye to a friend, see you later.”

* * *

Jaune knocked on the door and opened it when he heard a soft ‘come in’.

“Hey Yang,” he greeted. “How are you?”

Yang smiled tiredly. “I’m alright. It’s been a while since I saw you. You doing alright?”

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. He hadn’t visited her since he started training. “I’m okay. I’m sorry for not visiting sooner.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve heard that you’ve trained like crazy. Ruby was talking about how much you’ve improved non-stop.”

He laughed nervously. “You know Ruby. She tends to exaggerate sometimes.”

“Maybe, but I can see that you’ve changed. You stand with an air of confidence about you.”

"Thanks," he smiles, feeling weird. He never got used to praising, he felt like he didn't deserve it.

“Take care of Ruby for me, okay?” she begged softly. “I would look after her, but…I can’t anymore.”

He understood how she felt. They both lost a part of themselves, a part that couldn’t be replaced.

"I will don't worry."

He didn’t promise because he didn’t know if he would be able to keep it. The road to Minstral would be filled with danger. Still, she deserves a bit of peace of mind.

“Good. I’m glad that you’re going with her. I know she can trust you and you would look out for her. Thank you,” she said with a sincere smile.

He nodded with a small smile and said his goodbyes. He still had a few things to pack.

_Later that evening_

“Out for your evening training?” his father asked from the porch of the small cabin they shared in the village.

Jaune turned to look at him. “You knew?”

“Of course I knew. If that is your coping mechanism, I must say I'm relieved."

Jaune sat down near his father but didn't say anything. Something told him that the man would share something private with him, something he didn't share with the rest of the family.

“I was just like you, you know? I also wanted to be a Huntsman, a hero. Just like my father. You could say that dream runs in the Arc family,” he said with a bitter smile. “But then I realized that you couldn’t save everyone. That no matter how hard you try, people will die. And then it will become a question of who to save. The innocents? Or the people you love?”

“Is that why you didn’t want me to become a Huntsman?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want you to look like you do now: broken and empty. I should have come after you and dragged you back home.”

Jaune smirked. “It wouldn’t have worked. I would have fought to stay and I’m sure my friends would have too.”

His father laughed. “That’s good to know. I’m glad that you have a strong will and good friends to watch your back. Knowing that makes me feel more at ease at the fact you’re going after a homicidal terrorist. I would have gone with you, but I can’t leave your mom and your sisters. What if the wall breaks down and the Grimm come?”

“Don’t worry, I don’t hold it against you. I’m glad that you’re going to look after mom and the others,” Jaune said with a smile.

His father looked at him with a sad smile. “Are you sure you don’t hold any resentment? I didn’t train you and I didn’t support your dream either. It’s okay, I’ve been blamed before, and I can take it.”

Jaune looked at his lap. A part of him, a small part of him, blamed his father. If the man had trained him perhaps he would have been strong enough to save Pyrrha. He squashed that traitorous thought immediately.

_It’s not dad’s fault. If I had even an ounce of talent, perhaps he could have trained me_

“I don’t blame you,” he said. “I blame myself and Cinder. If I had been a second faster I could have saved her.”

“Thinking like that would only drive you insane.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?!” Jaune snapped. "Everyone told me that! 'It's not your fault, it's Cinder's!' While Cinder killed her, I also know that I'm at fault too! I was her partner, I was supposed to have her back! Instead, I let her die!"

He shut his eyes and clenched his fists. If not for his Aura, the nails would have pierced the skin. His body started to tremble.

His father hugged him. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something or say something that could help, but I don’t what to do or say.”

“You lost people you cared about, didn’t you? How did you deal with that?”

“I let time heal the wounds, but the scars remain. I also had your mom and Luna had just been born. I couldn’t break down. Your mom was very supportive. Let your friends in, let them help you.”

Jaune sighed, his whole body shook. “I want to ask you something.”

“What?”

"How did you manage to convince mom to go out with you?" he asked with a smirk.

“I told you that, confidence.”

“You see, I tried that. I was confident when I asked her out, but she shot me down.”

His father shrugged. “Sometimes, that happens. Don’t get discouraged.”

“I wasn’t discouraged. I tried again and again,” he said with a grimace. “Still didn’t work out. So how did you and mom get together?”

“I was out with my buddies at a bar. Saw your mother looking at me and I went over to her and asked her out with confidence.”

“That’s it?!” he asked incredulously.

“The basics, yeah. Sometimes, meeting someone for the first time isn’t going to be magical, but the time you spent together it will be. I could spend days telling you about your mother and me."

“Uh…that’s okay,” Jaune said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

His father chuckled before turning serious. “Listen, I want you to know something. Don’t let revenge consume you, it will only destroy you. And I also want you to know,” he said and put his hand on his head and rubbed it in an affectionate just like he did when Jaune was a kid. "No matter what, know that I will always love you and that I'm proud of you."

The two Arcs hugged one last time before going to bed. The next day Jaune and his friends embarked on their journey. A journey filled with uncertainty, but there was something that Jaune knew about it.

_I will kill Cinder Fall, or I will die trying! This I swear!_


	3. Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remembered that Volume 4 happens 8 months after the Fall of Beacon. I corrected that in the previous chapter.

"I'm just saying, there are more members of JNPR in this team than RWBY. I'm just saying that it makes more sense to go with that one," said Nora.

“But JNRR is not a color. Plus we are helping Ruby with her objective. Wouldn’t that make her the leader?” countered Ren

“Guys. Focus,” ordered Jaune.

He didn’t care what the team’s name is. This wasn’t a school field trip, it was a quest for revenge. Let Ruby believe that she was in charge. It hardly matters because Jaune knew that if push came to shove, Nora and Ren would follow him over Ruby of that he had no doubt. He had earned their loyalty at Beacon (even if he didn’t deserve it) and while Ruby was a friend, he held a bigger part in their hearts. Not that he thought Ruby would betray him or anything. The girl doesn’t have a single bad bone in her body. But he suspects that Ruby thinks that they would follow her to the ends of Remnant. And that is true…as long as Cinder Fall still draws breath. He did promise Yang to look after her (not really, but he didn’t want the girl to be worried), but that promise will only last until he killed Cinder. After that, Ruby would be on her own.

Speaking of the redhead girl, Ruby jumped from the trees in front of them.

“Well?” he asked.

“It’s close to the village alright. I managed to take some pictures,” she said and showed them the pictures she took of the Petras Gigas.

It was huge, body made of rocks. The Grimm masks on the main boulder was definitely a weak spot.

"Alright, here's the plan: I will act as the decoy. Ren use your Semblance on Nora and sneak behind it. Nora breaks one of its legs. Ruby, stay hidden in the trees. When the Gigas goes on one knee shoot it in the face. We may have only one shot at this,” said Jaune.

Ruby grinned. “One shot is all I need,” she replied with confidence. Ren and Nora nodded with confidence too.

Jaune wished he could share their optimism. His plan could go bad at any point. What if another Grimm appears? Then what? If this goes south, he will improvise.

To his relief, the plan worked perfectly. He acted as a decoy, not moving around so much so that Nora would have clear shot at the monster's legs. Nora's first strike disrupted the Grimm's focus and her second, crippled it. Once it was on its knees, Ruby fired, hitting the Grimm right in the face. The monster lost control of its body, the stone collapsing forcing Jaune, Ren, and Nora to take cover. The Gigas attempted to fly into the forest, but another shot rang out and the monster faded into nothingness. Jaune took a picture of the crumbled rocks as evidence of their deed.

“We truly can’t thank you enough,” said the leader of the village as he shook Ruby’s hand.

“Just doing our job, sir,” the redhead girl said humbly.

The chief started to tell them about the village’s problems and while Jaune wished he could help villagers, he had a personal mission to attend to. Their fate is their own. The chief did say something useful: the next village might have an airship that could get them to Minstral.

“There you go son!” the blacksmith said as he handed Jaune his new armor. “It’s going to be heavier than what you’re used to, but you’ll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws.”

“Thank you,” said the young man sincerely.

He removed the old armor while ignoring Ruby’s laugh at his hoodie (though that was hard, the girl has an obnoxious laughter).

"There it is," the blacksmith return with his weapon. "I've made all the modifications you've asked for. That was a fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where did you get it from?”

“From someone dear,” he said sadly.

“I see,” the Fanus said softly, reading Jaune’s mood. He faked a cough. “Let me show that special modification you asked for,” he said and turned the shield into its sheath mode. “See this,” he said and pointed to the handle into an opening on the side of the sheath. It was constructed in such a way that when Jaune would use the shield, the handle would be on the inside of the shield. “If you press this button here,” the blacksmith said, showing a small button that is not visible unless you actively look for it. “A mechanism will extend the full handle and you would have yourself a second sword. Of course, you would need to remove the original sword from the sheath first.”

Jaune nodded in understanding. He would have to practice activating the second sword until he could do it in a blink of an eye.

* * *

Salem watched with mild annoyance how Watts was putting down Cinder. She could feel the man's jealousy towards the young woman as she had succeeded at a task he deemed Cinder unsuited for. "Watts, is your cruelty towards young Cinder necessary?" she asked. She was a fair ruler. Those who swore loyalty to her, those who performed admirably would benefit from her favor.

“My apologies, Ma’am. It’s just that I’m not particularly fond of failure,” the man said.

“Young Cinder here has become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and most importantly…killed dear Ozpin," she said, joy coloring her tone. Yes, she would have wanted to kill her former husband herself. Oh well, it's not like she wouldn't get the chance later. Her husband would reincarnate and by the time he returned, the world would be hers to rule. The thought of seeing his despair filled expression as everything he worked so hard to achieve and protect was destroyed filled her with even more joy. "So, I am curious: to what failures are you referring to?"

She felt the doctor’s fear spike up. “Well…the one who injured her to such a state.”

Of course, Salem has heard how Cinder was injured. A man in a white armor injured both Cinder and the Wyvern with one attack. His identity is unknown. While the feat was impressive, it matters little in the grand scheme. With Ozma dead, his subordinates will have no real plan and eventually they will fall. “That was an error on Cinder’s part,” she began, agreeing with the doctor. “However, anyone can make an error and I am certain the young Cinder here will not make the same error ever again,” she said, looking at Cinder, who nodded her head.

“Ma’am, there is another matter that I want to bring to your attention,” Watts said.

“Speak.”

“While I was looking through what little footage there is during the Battle of Beacon in hopes of finding the identity of the white knight, I saw this,” he said and showed her a picture on his scroll. A picture of a girl with silver eyes. “It seems there is one last warrior with silver eyes.”

Salem didn't feel threatened in the slightest. The girl was young, with little combat experience. She probably didn't master her eyes yet and even if she did, it wouldn't matter. The eyes could hurt her, but they couldn't kill her. Nothing and no one can kill her. Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious. "Tyrian,” she said, looking at the scorpion fanus. “Bring me the girl, alive if possible. Doctor Watts, you are to take Cinder’s place and meet with our informant in Minstral. Hazel, I am sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal, ensure that Siena Khan feels the same. Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen and soon Haven will be next.”

* * *

_Jaune was in Hell. Everything around him burned. In front of him, Pyrrha was kneeling in front of Cinder, who smiled with sadistic pleasure at her. He tried to move to save Pyrrha, but his body wouldn’t respond. His partner looked at him with hope in her eyes that he would save her, only for her hope to be destroyed as the arrow pierced her heart. She looked at him with a look of utter betrayal on her face before she collapsed and died. Jaune trashed against the invisible bonds, trying with all his might to reach Cinder so that he could tear her apart with his bare hands. However, the nightmare was far from over. Pyrrha’s body disappeared and was replaced with Team RWBY, Nora and Ren. All on their knees, ready to be killed by Cinder._

_“No, don’t, please!” begged Jaune._

_Cinder looked at him with a sadistic smile and prepared her bow. Jaune watched in horror as his friends were killed one by one. Each one looked at him with hope in their eyes that he would save them. That hope turned into betrayal as the arrow struck each one of them in the heart. When it was finally over, Jaune raged and screamed, to crush the monster who had destroyed him, but he was still immobilized. Cinder was still smiling at him with sadistic pleasure as the fire burned behind her. With one last look at him, she turned and walked through the flames._

* * *

Jaune woke up with a gasp. His body felt hot and sweaty, his breathing was hard and ragged. He looked around the small camp and noticed that the others were still asleep. He breathed deeply and exhaled to calm himself. Ever since the Fall, he had nightmares, but he found out that if he trained until he dropped they weren't so frequent. However, he couldn't do that now that he was on the road. He needed to be able to fight at any moment. And so he had to power through them. So far, none of his friends knew that he had nightmares and he intended to keep it that way. Once everyone was up they packed up camp and keep moving. Ruby took the lead but the girl couldn’t read a map to save her life and her sense of direction wasn’t that great either.

Luckily he knew where they were going. “Relax, Ruby. We aren’t lost. We’re on our way to Shion Village. I know where it is. I’ve been there before with my family,” he said.

“Didn’t you have, like, four sisters?” asked Ruby.

“Seven,” he clarified.

“You know that actually explains a lot,” said Nora.

“What do you mean?” asked Jaune, but Nora just giggled. Jaune shrugged, chucking it up to Nora being Nora.

“So, what did you do when you were in Shion?” asked Ruby.

For a moment Jaune hesitated in telling. He had thought about keeping his friends at arm's length but he decided against it. They already made their way into his heart and pushing them away would be painful for everybody. Plus, it could also affect their trust and team dynamics. So, Jaune told her where they went hiking, how his sisters braided his hair. They laughed and joked, the mood was good and Jaune felt a bit at ease. However, the good mood disappeared when they reach Shion. Instead of a lively village, the travelers were greeted by a smoking ruin. They searched for survivors and found a heavily injured Huntsman. He told them that bandits attacked the village, causing panic. The panic attracted the Grimm, who razed the village to the ground. The man died shortly after.

Jaune looked at the destroyed village. He remembered the villagers were being warm and friendly towards him and his family. The village children let him join in on their games, even though he was an outsider. On the last night they spent here, the village was holding a festival, some sort of tradition. They lit, small laps and lifted them in the sky. He remembered watching with fascination as the night sky became so bright. Jaune looked at the sky now and saw only darkness.

"It will get better," Ruby said and put her hand on his arm in a comfortable manner.

He said nothing and kept moving.

_No, Ruby. It won’t get better._

* * *

Night fell and Jaune went off to practice. Just because he wasn't training until he dropped, doesn't mean he could afford to be lazy. He put his scroll on a log and started the recording.

 _“Alright, Jaune,”_ the voice of Pyrrha said. _"Just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up. Keep your grip tight. Don't forget to keep your front foot forward. Ready? Go!"_

He did as she instructed and with a yell he stabbed forward, keeping his shield close to protect him. This recording was one way he could hear her voice again. The other way was when he dreamt about her, or more accurately when he dreamed about her death.

_It’s always the same dream. Why can’t I dream of the time we went to the Vytal Festival, or when we sparred on the rooftop? Or any other moment we shared?_

Suddenly, Cinder Fall appeared before him, smiling smugly at him, taunting him. With a roar he swung his sword at her, cutting her in two. His swing was so strong that he released a wind that rustles the grass. He didn't put any Aura in that swing, it was purely physical. He panted, not because he was tired, but because of his rage. The flame inside him burned brightly.

 _“Okay. Now, assuming you haven’t cheated, we can take a break,”_ the recording continued. “ _I know this can be frustrating. And it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount. But…I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so dedicated to bettering themselves. You've grown so much since we started training. And I know that this is just the beginning. Jaune…I…I…I want you to know that I’m just happy to be part of your life. I’ll always be here for you Jaune.”_

Jaune Arc broke down and cried.

_How can you say that? How can you say that you are happy to be part of my life? That you love me? I’ve been a horrible partner and leader. I pushed you away when you tried to help me, I didn’t pay attention to your feelings, and I didn’t do anything when I saw that you were struggling and worst of all: I let you die! If I had been half the partner that you deserve you would have been here. It’s my fault! All of it! I am so sorry Pyrhha! Please…I…_

Suddenly arms wrapped around his chest, as someone rested against his back. “I miss her too,” said Ruby softly. “But everything will be fine, I promise.”

Jaune knew that was unlikely. They could either be ambushed by bandits or Grimm. They could die a gruesome death.

The flame dimmed.

Despite these thoughts, Jaune clung onto the belief that everything will be fine.


	4. The girl who craved freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you are okay. I just wanted to let you know that my next update will be later than usual since my exams start tomorrow. They last the rest of the week though, so I'll start writing again next week. Until next time stay safe!

Weiss stood with her father and brother, half-listening to what the man was talking with his business associates.

“That’s precisely my point. We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument’s completely invalid right out of the gate,” her father said and she knew that was a lie. She was no longer naïve to believe that. Deciding that she had listened enough about politics and business opportunities for the past hour, Weiss decided to walk around a bit only to be stopped when her father grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?” he hissed.

“I was just thirsty,” she said.

“Sweetheart, we have people for that.”

“No, it’s fine. I can get it.”

He held her gaze for a moment before letting go. “I’m sorry. I spaced out for a bit, but I believe I am still the good guy,” he said to his associates and they all laughed.

Weiss rolled her eyes. No one who knew Jacques Schnee would consider him a good guy. She found herself in front of the painting of Beacon. A small sad smile appeared on her face as she remembered the good times.

“It’s beautiful,” a male voice said. Weiss turned a saw a young man her age with blue hair and gold eyes wearing a fancy suit. “You two match.”

“Yes, it’s a lovely painting,” she said, ignoring his flirting attempts. She had heard it all before from Neptune and Jaune. If she were to compare this person to one of them, he would match Neptune. Not only in physical appearances but also in the way his pick-up lines were: smooth and calculated. Jaune’s pick-up lines were clumsy but had a certain warmth to them. Like he meant what he said.

_You really meant every word you said, didn’t you?_

“So…That was my attempt at breaking the ice. How am I doing so far?” the young man asked after a moment of silence

“You leave a lot to be desired,” she responded bluntly.

He laughed. “I appreciate your honesty. I am Henry. Henry Merigold,” he said extending his hand.

She took his hand gingerly. “Weiss Schnee.”

“I know. I saw your performance. You were wonderful. And I promise I am not saying that just because you are pretty.”

_Really? Then why was it when you approached me your first words to me were to compare my beauty to a painting?_

“So…Are you thinking about buying it?”

"No, I don't think so," she said. It's not like the money she had were her own, they were her father's, and the man probably already paid his share to the charity.

“Yeah…Kind of pricey for a painting,” the young man said

Weiss frowned. “It’s to raise money.”

“Oh, really? For what?” he asked without a clue

"For what?!" she asked incredulously as she glared.

The young man didn't notice the glare. "I'll admit. I only come here for the food and drinks. And the extraordinary company, of course," he said with a flirty smirk. “What is this even for anyway? Mantle?”

Weiss glared hardened. How can he be so callous? So ignorant?

“Get out,” she hissed.

“What?” he asked, surprised.

“Get out or I’ll have the guards escort you out.”

Henry looked at her in surprise for another moment before he scoffed. “Whatever,” he said and left.

She looked around the ballroom. Everyone was laughing, enjoying themselves, talking about their business, or the small problems they were facing. Completely unaware of what awaited outside the walls. She used to be like that too, but now she knew better.

* * *

_It was Hell. Unarmed students ran away to escape, but they were either cut down by the Grimm or gunned down by the White Fang and the rouge Atlesian machines. Students who had their weapons with them provided cover for those who did not, but they eventually met the same end. Her breathing was hard and harsh, as she was barely able to stand, but despite that, she couldn't give up. Her friends were depending on her! And she would not let them down!_

_”Jaune! Is that you? Are you alright?” she asked, her worry elevated a bit when she found his signal._

_“Weiss! You’ve got to save Pyrrha! She’s going atop the tower to fight Cinder! You’ve got to save her! Please! I’ll be there as soon as I can!” he said, desperately._

_“I will, but what about you?”_

_“FORGET ABOUT ME!” he roared and she flinched. She understood his worry though. She too would be scared and desperate had one of her teammates went up and confronted the one who caused this carnage._

_She grunted as she stabbed a Beowolf, watching it collapse and fade into nothing. She gritted her teeth as he looked at the remaining Grimm and Paladins. She was so close, just a few more._

_“GET OUT OF MY WAY!” roared a voice that belongs to Jaune._

_She turned and watched him in awe. He was wearing a white armor with a white cape as he cut down all Grimm that dared get in his way. With a mighty jump, he started to wall jump on the tower to reach the top where Pyrrha was fighting. With the speed he was going he will reach the top of the tower in no time. She couldn’t help but relax a little, knowing he would make it._

_A few minutes later he came down fast, holding Pyrrha to his chest with one arm and the other was using Crocea Mors to stop his descend. When he was close to the ground, he pushed against the tower, launching himself forward and breaking the rest of the fall in a roll, dropping Crocea Mors. Once he stopped rolling, he sprinted towards the evacuation point with a speed that would give Ruby a run for her money. She picked up Crocea Mors and inspected it. The blade was damaged but it could still be repaired._

_“Come on Ruby. Let’s get out of here,” she said and her partner nodded._

_They eventually reached the evacuation site and saw that everyone was there._

_“Jaune, thank goodness you’re alright! How’s Pyrrha?" she asked and when he didn't receive a response she looked at the others. They all looked about to cry. She looked at him fully and noticed Pyrrha’s lifeless body. Eventually, the dam broke as everyone started to cry, even her._

_Everyone except Jaune. Jaune was standing still holding onto Pyrrha. He was in shock as he looked at his partner with an unfocused gaze, his breathing shallow. Tears flowed freely from his eyes, but he made no sound, no movement. He resembled a statue. Eventually, they were all moved down to a safe zone in Vale. Jaune was still holding onto Pyrrha, refusing any medical assistance, standing alone alienated from everyone. The sight broke her heart. Normally, Ruby would have comforted him, but she was tending to Yang, and Ren and Nora were receiving medical attention. Without much thought, she went to him._

_“I…I’ve brought you your sword. You left it near the tower,” she said in a soft voice as she kneeled before him. She didn’t know what to say or if there was something she could say._

_He said nothing, he didn't even acknowledge her. Weiss reached out her hand to touch him but stopped when it was close to his shoulder as if a force field surrounded him which stopped her from reaching him. She clenched and unclenched her hand a couple of times as if she struggled against the force field. She lower her hand when she heard footsteps coming their way. She turned and saw Professor Goodwitch with two Atlasian soldiers flanking her._

_"Mister Arc," she spoke professionally, however, Weiss could see the cracks in her façade. After all, one of her students died, and despite what people believed Glynda Goodwitch cared a lot about her students. “We need to take Miss Nikos…body.”_

_Weiss saw Jaune tense up immediately and pulled Pyrrha closer to his chest. He raised his head to glare hatefully at his teacher and the heiress realized that he wouldn’t hesitate to attack if someone were to take Pyrrha from him._

_Professor Goodwitch realized this too. "Mister Arc," she began softly as she could. "Miss Nikos's parents would like to see her daughter…and plan for her funeral. They deserve to see her."_

_Eventually, Jaune relented and he stood up. “Lead the way,” he said and Goodwitch accepted that._

_She watched him go, wishing she could do something, but all she could do was watching in concern and sadness as he walked away._

* * *

_Compared to the reunion between Jaune and his father, the reunion between her and her own father was more…reserved. The man gave her a look over before asking her if she was alright to which she nodded. Then he told her that they were leaving and she should say goodbye to her friends. She did what she was told without complaining. She said goodbye to Ren and Nora since she saw them first. Ruby hugged her goodbye and for once she returned the hug. Yang was still unconscious and Blake fled without saying a word. Again. That left only Jaune._

_“I am leaving now. Goodbye,” she said curtly, stiffly. She still wasn’t sure what to say around him._

_He nodded, his gaze didn’t meet her as his hair obscured his eyes. The force field between them was stronger than ever. She created that force field and now she is too weak to tear it down._

_She turned to leave, but before she could take a step he spoke softly. "Take care of yourself, Weiss."_

_Then he walked away._

_“You too,” she said just as softly._

* * *

"But really, does it come to any surprise what happened to Vale?" asked rhetorically a woman. Weiss's head snapped in her direction. "It was a long time coming if you ask me," she continued.

“Honey…” the woman’s partner said in an attempt to quiet her down.

She didn't get the hint. "What?" she asked with a laugh. "You said the same thing last night. If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defense, then I say good riddance."

Weiss glared hatefully at the woman. How dare she?! People died! Innocent people! She had enough of people like her. Arrogant. Entitled. The thought that she was just like this woman made her sick! No wonder she was alone.

“Shut up!” the heiress exploded and the ballroom went quiet. “You don’t have a clue! None of you do!”

“Excuse me?!” the woman said, feeling insulted

“You’re all just standing around talking about nothing! Worrying about your hair, your money…Your stupid problems that don’t mean anything!”

"Weiss, that's enough!" her father snapped, gripping her arm.

“Let go of me!” she demanded, attempting to free her arm.

“You’re embarrassing the family!”

“I said let go of me!”

With a more powerful jerk, her father released her, but she lost her balance and fell. Weiss closed her eyes, expecting pain, but felt none. When she opened them, she saw that a glyph protected her head from damage. Suddenly, from the glyph, a Boarbatusk was summoned and charged at the arrogant woman. General Ironwood was there to save the woman and for that Weiss was grateful. She hated the woman, but she didn’t want her blood on her hands. Her father narrowed his eyes at her and she knew she was going to pay for what happened tonight. She didn’t regret it though.

* * *

“Unbelievable,” Jacques Schnee. “Absolutely unbelievable.”

Weiss sighed. She was tired of this.

“Do you have any idea how much your stunt cost us?

“I-“

“And don’t just think I’m talking about Lien here!” the man raged. “Our reputation…Our…Our…” he sighed exasperatedly.

“I want to leave,” she said. She had enough of this place, these people. She misses her sister, her friends.

“I beg your pardon?” her father asked, incredulously

“I said, I want to leave! I don’t want to stay here anymore! I don’t want to be in Atlas anymore!”

“Young lady, I don’t give a damn about what you want! This isn’t about you! This is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!”

“I have done nothing but to fight to uphold the honor of my family name, a name that _you_ _married into_!”

Her father snapped and slapped her across the face. She had her Aura down and so she felt the slap, but it would ensure didn’t have any mark on her face. That didn’t lessen the shock she felt though.

"This behavior of your is incredibly disappointing," her father said coldly. "You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone in order to keep this family where it is. If you think running off like your sister is going to keep the Schnee family strong, you’re wrong. Siding with her only divides us.”

“I’m not siding with anyone. I’m just doing what I think is right and that does not include wasting my time here with these clueless people in Atlas. The Schnee family name isn’t yours to lead. It’s mine. And I’ll do it as a Huntress.”

“No…you won't. You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I specifically allow it. You are going to remain here, out of sight, and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement about your future."

“What?!”

“Your presupposition that you can simply have whatever it is you want is a clear sign of our failure as parents. But from now on, I’ll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you.”

“You can’t just keep me from leaving!”

“I can, and the staff here will make sure of it.”

“So now I’m just your prisoner?!”

“You are my daughter. You are a child. And children are punished when they misbehave,” her father replied with a condensing tone she heard then when she was a child

“This is only going to make things worse, Father. People will ask questions! They’ll want to know why the Schnee Dust Company heiress is nowhere to be found!”

Her father smirked. “Which is why you are no longer the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.”

She felt like she was slapped again. “Excuse me?”

“Clearly, the trauma you have suffered at the Fall of Beacon was too great. Which is why you have generously revoked your claim on the company and its earnings and passed them to your brother Whitley,” he explained, the smirk never leaving his face. Weiss didn’t say anything, she was too stunned to reply. “It’s time to wake up and face reality,” he said before leaving the room.

When the door opened, Whitley was outside, obviously listening to what they were talking about. An epiphany hit her as she opened the door and walked after her brother.

“Did you know about this?” she asked

“About what?” he asked innocently.

“You never liked Winter. You never liked me. But since I came back you’ve been nothing but supportive of me.”

“If being supportive of my sister is a crime, then I am guilty,” he said, still playing the innocent.

She wasn't having any of it. "You wanted this to happen," she said with realization.

The innocent act dropped and an ugly sneer appeared on his face. “It’s not wise to go against father. But don’t worry Weiss, the future of the Schnee family is in good hands.”

Whitley walked away with his hands behind his back, his posture straight and proud. A perfect image of her father. Weiss returned to her room where she collapsed on her bed and cried softly.

_Is this my fate? To be stuck in this cold place until I die, all alone with no friends or a real family? Without nothing?_

From outside her window, the sounds of Atlas fighters flying could be heard and realized there was still someone out there that she considered family. Someone she looked up, who inspired her to leave in the first place.

_Winter. Winter is still out there. I’ve got to find her. Father might have locked me in the manor, but I can still escape. I’ve done it once, I can do it again._

But she couldn't go to Winter unprepared. She needed to master her summoning first so that it would go haywire again.

_And with me locked inside the manor, I have all the time in the world to do so. And maybe one day I’ll see my friends again. My true family._


	5. The Qrow and the Scorpion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been some time and I'm sorry about that. 2020 hit me later than most people, but it hit me quite hard.

“Another day, another adventure,” exclaimed Nora happily.

Jaune couldn’t help but smile at Nora’s excitement. Her happy mood was infectious and he felt a bit at ease now. The day was beautiful and his friends were great traveling companions. The group managed to catch a bit of a break, as they didn’t encounter any Grimm for the last few days. 

_Maybe things are finally looking up_ , Jaune thought with optimism.

That thought died an ugly dead when they found another ruined village. The village, Oniyuri, has been destroyed years ago when Ren and Nora were kids.

“Let’s keep moving,” Jaune said noticing the pained look on Ren’s face and how he clenched his fists in anger. Being here wasn’t good for his friend.

As they walked through the destroyed village Ren stopped them. They reached for their weapons waiting for the enemy. Suddenly a man with a brown trench coat jumped in front of them. He had braided brown hair and yellow eyes. Jaune was taken aback by the madness in them. With a crazed laugh, the man charged at Ruby, his wrist blades at the ready.

He charged at Ruby, but Ren intercepted him. He blocked and dodged Ren’s attacks with ease, slashed him across the chest before knocking him away. Then he went after Ruby, attacking her relentlessly. The girl managed to block some of his strikes, but the man was able to land a hit that took quite a chunk of Aura out of her. Jaune swung at him, but the man jumped and grabbed his shield, hanging on it as he smirked manically at the blond young man. Jaune stabbed at him, but the man dodged.

“Who are you?” asked Ren.

The man chuckled. “Who am I matters not to you. Or you,” he said as he pointed at Nora. “You,” he said as he looked at Jaune. “Well, you do interest me,” he said and Jaune was taken aback once more. “I only matter to you,” he eventually said and pointed at Ruby.

"Me?" she asked, unsure

The man laughed. “You don’t even know? Oh, how exciting this must be!”

“What do you want?” Ruby said as he glared at the man.

“Ooh, the rose has thorns. My name is Tyrian Callows and I am here to whisk you away with me, my little flower,”

“And what if she doesn’t want to go with you?” asked Nora threateningly as she got protectively in front of Ruby.

Tyrian was unimpressed. “Well, I would just take her,” he said, like stating the obvious

Jaune got in front of Ruby too. “We’re not going to let you take her.”

The man giggled. “Good.”

Jaune activated his Semblance, his body glowing white for a moment and after the glow subsided he was in full armor.

The man looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before grinning. “An eye for an eye,” he said and giggled.

Jaune charged at the maniac and slashed at his midsection. He jumped over him and would have kicked Jaune in the head if he didn't block it with his shield in time. Nora charged at him, but he either blocked or dodged her attacks. Ren came behind him and opened fire on him. The man jumped away, letting the bullets hit Nora.

“Nora!” Ren called in shock, horrified at what he had done.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” she said. Her aura protected her from damage, and the bullets didn’t hurt so much.

“Watch your fire! Shoot only when he isn’t near one of us!” ordered Jaune.

Ruby swung her scythe at their attacker only to be kicked away. She changed her weapon into its sniper form and aimed at the man who was charging at Nora. Ruby fired a lightning infused bullet at him, the man dodged and the bullet hit Nora.

Ruby smirked. _Just as planned_

Tyrian laughed and taunted Ruby, but stopped when he noticed her and Ren smirking. He turned and saw Nora got up and charged at the maniac and brought her hammer down on him with a resounding boom. However, the man was okay as he blocked Nora’s attack with his scorpion tail.

“He’s a Faunus,” said Ren out loud.

“What is this about? The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?” asked Ruby

“Plastic soldiers and pawns. My heart and body belong only to our goddess!” he exclaimed, raising his hands towards the black sky in a dramatic fashion.

“Cinder…” Jaune growled as what the man said earlier about an eye for an eye clicked. The flame inside burned to life.

The maniac laughed. “Only in her wildest dreams!” he spat with venom before he jumped at them.

Jaune saw that the scorpion Faunus intended to jump behind them and immediately went to intercept him intending to capitalize on his mistake. In fighting, it's not a good idea to jump towards your opponent since you can't change directions in mid-jump. Jaune pumped Aura into his sword and swung upwards at the enemy. The maniac blocked with his weapons, but the grunt let out was enough to let the young swordsman know his attack hurt. He pumped more Aura into his weapon and released a beam at Faunus which exploded as it came in contact with his intended target.

Tyrian rolled in the air and landed gracefully on his feet. He growled and glared hatefully at the knight. Jaune’s friends didn’t waste any time firing on the mad Faunus who dodged all projectiles. Jaune came from his side and slashed two times at him. His attacks were blocked and he quickly jumped back as his friends fired at the scorpion Faunus who dodged again. Tyrian fired his machine guns at the group, but Jaune quickly got in front of them and blocked the bullets with his shield.

“Jaune we need to reload,” said Ruby.

“Fall back!” he ordered and blade beamed at Tyrian to keep him at bay.

Tyrian dodged all his projectiles and quickly closed in. Jaune was about to jump away when Tyrian’s tail wrapped around his throat. Jaune tried to cut the tail off, but Tyrian just tightens his hold on him, making him gasp in pain.

_He could crush my windpipe easily, but he wouldn’t. He wants to make me suffer._

“Jaune!” Ruby yelled and charged at the maniac.

Jaune would have told her to stay away, but Tyrian applied more pressure on his throat. The scorpion Faunus laughed and threw him aside like a rag doll. He blocked Ruby’s strike and then he tore into her Aura with his claws before he kicked her away in the air. Tyrian didn’t stop there as he dashed after Ruby and kicked her in the gut while she was still in the air, nearly breaking her Aura. Tyrian stood over a downed Ruby, smirking as he prepared to stab Ruby with his stinger.

Jaune looked up from the ground and horror gripped him.

 _No!_ he thought and for a brief moment he was back on top of Beacon Tower, Pyrrha kneeling as Cinder stood victorious over her. _No, please! Not again!_

He wouldn’t make it in time, he knew that. Even if he were to dash with all his might, Ruby was too far away from him and Tyrian was a second away from stabbing her with his tail. Thankfully a man burst out from a ruined building and blocked the stinger with his sword. Jaune never met the man, but he recognized him based on Ruby’s description of him: he was her uncle, Qrow. The men fought with speed and strength that Jaune could only hope to match with his Semblance. Nora and Ren tried to attack Tyrian from behind, but the manic easily repelled them.

“Don’t come any closer!” Qrow warned.

“Fine,” Ruby said and jumped on a roof and switched her weapon into its rifle mode.

At some point, Tyrian managed to disarm Qrow. Ruby managed to distract the Faunus long enough for Qrow to make a comeback and retrieve his weapon. They fight continued as they crashed into a destroyed building. Qrow was thrown out of it, his Aura flickering slightly. Tyrian quickly gave chase, his Aura flickering. Ruby joined her uncle in fighting the maniac.

“Ruby!” called Jaune and was about to rush to help her when Ren stopped him. “Ren! What are you doing? We need to help her!”

“This is her fight. We would just get in the way,” responded his friend calmly.

Jaune pushed his hand away. “This guy wants to kidnap Ruby. That makes it our fight too!”

“Jaune, we are outmatched.”

Jaune snorted. What else is new? He has always been outmatched since the first moment he set foot on Beacon, but that didn’t stop him before. He fought Cardin even when he didn’t have a chance. He started to train with Pyrrha (after he got his head on straight) so that he could catch up. And after Beacon, he trained even harder with his dad so he could go after Cinder, who has brought down a kingdom to its knees and killed one of the most powerful Huntsman in the world. Even now when he thinks how powerful Cinder is, the idea of backing down was ridiculous to him.

There is no going back for him. Jaune glared hatefully at Tyrian who was fighting Qrow and Ruby. That maniac was an obstacle between him and his revenge. He will teach that crazy Faunus what grave mistake he has made, he will let the whole world know the consequences of getting in his way.

The flame inside him burned bright.

“We have the strength in numbers here. He can’t take us all on with Qrow. Nora, Ren get behind him. Ren, use your Semblance to become invisible to his senses. Nora, when I break his Aura smash his head,” he ordered and charged at Tyrian.

He shot at Tyrian with a speed rivaling that of a bullet, aiming a slash at his legs. The murderer saw Jaune coming at him from the corner of his eye and dodged the attack by jumping over him, exactly what Jaune wanted him to do. Faster than a King Taijitu, Jaune bashed Tyrian’s face with his shield with enough power that destroyed the Faunus remaining Aura. Tyrian was clutching his face in pain, being distracted enough that gave Nora the opening she needed. She brought the hammer down on him and Tyrian blocked with his tail, just as Jaune had predicted. A sickening crunch was heard and the maniac howled in pain. Jaune moved in quickly and punched him in the face and the lunatic skidded across the ground. He got up and snarled at the white knight like a cornered animal.

“Looks like you lost this fight,” said Jaune and while his face was covered they could tell that he was smirking. “You have two options: surrender or run back to your mistress with your tail behind your legs.”

“Never!” snarled Tyrian and raised his tail in a threatening manner.

Jaune noted that Ren was still hiding and he hoped that his friend understood his intentions. His hope became reality when Ren sprang forth from his hiding behind Tyrian. The Faunus in his crazed haze didn’t notice that one of them was missing until it was far too late. In two flashed from Ren’s Stormflower Tyrian’s tail was in pieces.

The maniac howled in pain once more. “YOU-“

Whatever he was going to say was silenced by Ren's boot in his face, effectively knocking him out. When he woke up, he was tied by a rope, his weapons nowhere to be found.

“Who do you work for?” asked Jaune.

Tyrian smiled manically. “A goddess! The ruler of this planet! The one who shall bring light to-“

Jaune’s kick in the stomach cut him off. “I want a name. A location,” he growled. Ruby looked at him in fear and Ren and Nora looked grim. Only Qrow looked nonchalant.

“I can tell who he is working for,” said the older Huntsman. “And I know where she is. Well, it’s an idea, but it doesn’t matter. We can’t reach and even if we do, we’d be no match for her. At least not for now.”

Jaune accepted that. That would be a problem for another day.

“Where is Cinder?” he growled and the fire inside him continued to burn.

Tyrian giggled madly. “An eye for an eye indeed! Although it looks like you still have a bone to pick with her. Is it an eye for two?”

Jaune punched him in the face. A tooth flew from Tyrian’s mouth.

“I asked a question,” he growled once more, standing over Tyrian like an Ursa Major standing over its prey. "I want an answer."

“Jaune…" Ruby whispered fearfully. She had never seen her best friend like this before. It was scary.

Nora and Ren looked concerned too.

"Each of us plays a part in the goddess's masterpiece. Cinder also has a part in it. A big part too," Tyrian replied, grumbling bitterly the last part.

To Jaune that was confirmation that the Faunus would not share the location of that vile woman. In that case, he was no longer useful to him. They couldn't take him with them. Minstral was days away, maybe even a week and Tyrian was too dangerous to be in their presence for that long, he might try something. But they couldn’t let him go either and so there was only one choice.

Tyrian grinned. “So, is this your choice?” he asked as he looked into the flames in Jaune’s eyes, not at all concern for himself.

Jaune freed his sword from the scarab and approached Tyrian.

“Jaune! What are you doing?” asked Ruby as she got between him and Tyrian.

“What needs to be done,” came the simple reply.

“No! No, you can’t!” pleaded Ruby.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. “And why not?”

Before Ruby could answer, Tyrian slammed into Ruby and jumped from her onto the roof of a nearby building. Then he jumped from rooftop to rooftop avoiding fire before he disappeared into the forest.

Jaune snarled in frustration and punched the ground, leaving a small crater, before getting up. “Why did you stop me?!” he yelled angrily.

“You wanted to kill him!” accused Ruby with heat as she rose.

“So what?!” Jaune yelled back and all his friends froze.

“How can you ask that?” asked Ruby horrified.

“He wanted to kill us and kidnap _you_! He wouldn’t give us any information! He is too dangerous to be left alive! I’m well within my rights to kill him! Now he’s free, thanks to you!”

“Enough!” said Qrow. “There’s no point in staying here and arguing. Let’s go,” he said and put each hand on Jaune and Ruby’s shoulder.

Jaune shook the man’s hand off and marched off. Nora and Ren exchanged concerned looks and Ruby looked sad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at writing mad characters. I hope I did Tyrian all right.


	6. A much needed talk

Jaune thought he had a pretty good grasp on how the world works. What Qrow told him about the Maidens completely obliterated what he thought he knew.

“That’s what you were trying to do to Pyrrha. The night the tower fell. You were trying to turn her into one of them,” Jaune accused as he glared at the older man.

“The previous Fall Maiden, Amber was attacked. The attacker, which we now know is Cinder, somehow managed to steal some of her power, but not all of it. We were afraid if we didn’t do something, the rest would go to her as well.”

“So you forced it on her.”

“We didn’t force anything. We explained the situation and gave her a choice, and she chose. You were there, you heard her.”

Jaune looked at Qrow like he wanted to wrap his hands around the man’s throat and squeeze so hard that his beady red eyes would pop out of their sockets. “It didn’t hurt you knowing that she would accept it,” he said through clenched teeth.

“That guy, Tyrian. Why was he after me?” asked Ruby

“Well, it seems someone found out that you have silver eyes and there are not happy about it. That’s why I’ve been keeping a close eye on you, to make sure you’re safe. All of you,” Qrow responded.

Jaune scoffed. _Of course, he had. I should have known better. We haven't encountered a Grimm on the road for quite some time. Normally, there would be no way we wouldn't encounter some, considering that these monster control the majority of the planet._

“Well, then why didn’t you travel with us?” asked Ruby.

Jaune felt pity for the poor, naïve girl. Her own family using her. “He was using you as bait,” he said, voice dripping with venom.

“Look, I wouldn’t put it quite that way,” said Qrow, trying to salvage the situation.

“I bet you wouldn’t. I bet you would put in such a way that using Ruby, _your niece_ , as bait would have been a necessity to lure the enemy out,” said Jaune, tone cold as ice, before turning to Ruby. "Don't be fooled, Ruby. They will use as a pawn, just as they did Pyrrha because of your eyes, even if Qrow is your uncle.”

Ruby looked like she was about to cry. Nora and Ren looked at Jaune with concern and a touch of fear. He was slipping.

“It’s not like that!” said Qrow hotly before he sighed. “Look, my Semblance is bad luck okay. I bring back luck to myself, my friends, and my family. That's why I didn't travel with you."

“Uncle Qrow…I want to believe you…but you kept things from me…" Ruby said voice cracking and Jaune felt hope blossom in his chest.

_If she doubts Qrow, it would quite hard for him to use her as a pawn._

“I know and I’m sorry Ruby. But this secret is on the need to know basis. If word got out about the maidens, it would cause worldwide panic and you know what panic brings.”

And then he told them about the Relics. About Salem. It all sounded like something out of a bad fairy tale and it turned all Jaune thought he knew about the world upside down. That night he didn’t sleep, but that was nothing new. Since he started having nightmares he hadn't had a good night's sleep, but lately, he barely slept at all as his nightmares had gotten worse.

The next morning the group continue their journey. They decided to go through a destroyed town called Kuroyuri to reach Minstral faster, despite Ren’s vocal protest.

“Are you alright?” Jaune asked Ren.

“I’m fine!” he snapped and pressed on. Nora spared Jaune an apologetic glance before going after her long time crush.

When they reached the abandoned village, a pierced shriek rang out in the entire village and everyone went for their weapons. Then it appeared, the ancient Grimm the locals called Nuckelavee. The lower half of its body was a horse with a horse head while the upper body resembled a human with long, disproportionate arms and a horned head.

“Spread out!” said Qrow and the teens did as instructed.

With a battle cry, Ren opened fired at the Grimm, but its thick hide protected it from the hailstorm of bullets. With a speed that would seem impossible for its mass and body shape, the Nuckelavee slapped Ren like he was an annoying mosquito. Nora fired her grenade launcher at its hide and the monster roared in pain before it slashed her with on one of its arms. Thinking that the monster was distracted Qrow went for its legs, but what he didn’t factor in was that the horse head and human head were connected; what one sees, the other can see as well. The beast jumped back, but it wasn’t as fast as the experienced hunter as it was slashed at one of the front legs. Qrow smirked, but it was quickly wiped when he saw that the beast regenerating. Before the Nuckelavee could retaliate the human head was blown up by an explosive bullet, courtesy of Ruby's expert marksmanship. However, the monster had another head. It rammed its body in the building Ruby was on, destroying it. The young Huntress used her Semblance to escape the collapsing building, however, the Nuckelavee was able to determine where she would be and hit her with its legs, sending her flying. Qrow caught her mid-air.

“It’s regenerating!” he yelled.

"We need to pin it down before we can destroy the heads. It's too fast for us and Ruby needs time to line the perfect shot to blow the other head, the time it can use to heal," said Jaune.

“Okay, but how do we pin it down?” asked Ruby.

Before he could answer, Ren charged at it again without any sense of strategy with Nora covering him, but both were repelled. They tried again and this time they were hit so hard that their Auras broke. The fully healed Nuckelavee stood above them, ready to kill its prey. Jaune activated his Semblance and used the broadsword form of his weapon to effortlessly block its attack. He pushed it back and after pumping his sword with Aura he blade beamed both sets of legs off.

He turned towards his two teammates. “We need to pin the arms. Nora and I will pin one arm, Ruby and Qrow the other. Ren, you finish it off. Both heads need to be destroyed.”

Ren nodded, his control returning. The plan worked with no problems and Ren pulled out his father’s dagger and with calm, precise strikes, he killed the beast the destroyed his life. Then he turned towards Nora and give her one of his rare smiles.

Jaune smiled too, relieved that his friend could get some closure.

_He looks so relieved. Will I feel the same relief when I kill Cinder?_

Their luck turned for the better when they were spotted by a Minstral ship patrolling the area. After checking them for injuries, the crew loaded the travelers on the ship and returned home.

* * *

They had been stationed at a house somewhere in the middle levels of the city. It was only for tonight and tomorrow they would need to find another place to sleep. Jaune wasn’t too concern about where they would rest. He figured that the Headmaster at Haven would let them crash in the school’s dormitory and even if they had no room there, they could find something in the city. Minstral was huge after all. Jaune sighed irritably as he left his room to get himself a snack. He couldn't train again tonight since the house was too small. He had done some light workout exercises to keep in shape, but they didn't really help him with his sleep problem. Maybe some food would comfort him.

The house was silent as it was quite late. As he walked down to the kitchen he caught Nora exiting Ren’s room.

“This is not what it looks like,” she said quickly, blushing madly.

Jaune smirked. He didn't mind if his two best friends got intimate with each other, in fact, he was quite happy for them. But this moment right here is a perfect teasing material.

_Nora should be thanking her lucky stars Yang wasn’t here. She would never hear the end of it._

“How’s he?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Much better. Jaune, thank you for today. If it wasn’t for you…”

“You don’t need to thank me. We’re team, we look out for each other. Goodnight Nora,” he said and moved past her.

“Jaune,” she called before he could disappear downstairs. “Are you going to be okay?”

Jaune gave her a sad smile. “One day,” he said before he went downstairs.

Once he entered the living room, he saw a familiar mop of dark red hair on the sofa.

“Ruby,” he said and the girl jumped.

“Jaune, you scared me," she said, trying to calm her fast-beating heart.

“Sorry, I should have made more noise.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just thinking.”

“Want to talk about it?” he asked and took a seat next to her.

For a moment, Ruby said nothing, just staring at her knees, then she said. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” asked Jaune, confused.

“For dragging you, all of you, into this.”

Jaune smiled warmly. “You didn’t drag us into this. We wanted to come.”

“But I didn’t know about Tyrian and…”

“No one knew. Your uncle kept it secret from you,” he said and Ruby flinched like she had been burned. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure he was trying to keep you safe, but it was a mistake not to tell you. It could have helped.”

“But…”

“Ruby, I would have come even if Ren and Nora wouldn’t. Even if _you_ didn’t come.”

Now it was Ruby’s turn to be confused. “Why?”

Jaune’s face darkened and when he spoke his lips peeled off his teeth. The flame inside his chest burned. “Pyrrha’s dead, Ruby," he said as if talking to a slow child, his tone was hard and harsh. "Do you really think I don't care enough about her that I wouldn't want to get revenge on the vile woman who killed her?"

“No, no. I-I didn’t mean it that way Jaune,” she said quickly and an instinctual fear gripped her.

Jaune calmed himself and shook his head. “It’s fine. I know you didn’t. Prryha meant a lot to me. The least I can do is avenge her death.”

“The least you can do?”

“I’ve been a horrible partner to her Ruby,” he said, his shoulder hunched and head lowered in regret.

“Jaune, that’s not t-“ she began, reaching out to him when he suddenly stood up.

“Yes, its true Ruby!” he snapped, standing up suddenly, not turning to face her. “I’ve pushed her away when she only tried to help me, I ignored her feelings and chased after a girl who considered me an annoyance at best of times and I couldn’t save her from that vile woman!”

“Jaune, that’s not your fault! Cinder killed her!” she said, trying desperately to reach out to him

“People had been telling me that crap for quite some time,” he said bitterly. “But I know the truth. Even though I didn’t shoot the arrow, I still couldn’t make it in time to save her.”

“Jaune, please don’t this to yourself! I know how much she meant to you…I know you miss her like crazy…I-I miss her too,” Ruby said, starting to sob.

Jaune turned to look at his best friend and the fire inside his heart dimed leaving only numbness. “I’m sorry,” he said automatically and sat down to hug the small girl.

As Ruby sobbed into his chest she felt something wet fall on her head. Looking up she saw that Jaune was crying too, but unlike her, he didn't make a sound. The two teens cried until they fell asleep in each other's embrace.


	7. Minstral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I know it's been a while and I'm sorry for that. 2020 hit me so hard I hit rock bottom. But I'm back and working on putting everything back together. I won't promise frequent updates, but I promise I won't forget about fics.

The next morning the group arrived at Haven Academy. On their way, Qrow told them about Haven and what they should avoid. The others marveled at their new surroundings, however, Jaune barely paid any attention. The flame inside started anew and got brighter the closer he got to the academy and his hands were twitching in anticipation. Once inside the campus, Jaune noticed that it was too quiet and even though the school was not in session, there should still be teachers around. A quick glance at Qrow told him that he wasn’t the only one thinking that.

They met Haven’s Headmaster, Professor Leonardo Lionheart. The group learned what happened to Minstral during the Fall, how the Maidens and the Relics are connected, about Spring. Jaune listened to all of this and discovered that he didn’t care about any of it. To him, they were Ozpin and his subordinates’ problems, not his. He felt somewhat bad for Yang that her mom was a bandit, but that feeling was quickly burned away by the flame in his heart. There was one thing he cared about.

“What about Cinder?” he asked in a low and dangerous tone. “She came from Haven with Emerald and Mercury.”

“We pulled their files after the fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries,” replied Lionheart calmly.

Jaune clenched his fists in anger. “That’s it? That’s all you have?” asked Jaune with a growled similar to that of a Grimm. “There must be a paper trail, something, anything!”

“I’m sorry to say, but there isn’t any. The papers looked credible enough at first glance. Only after an extensive inquiry did we find out they were fake,” replied the old Headmaster.

“Those documents were made by someone. Do you know anyone in the city who forges documents?”

“I do, but it’s in the lower levels. Not a safe place for students.”

“Give me the location,” ordered Jaune.

“I don’t think that such a good idea,” Leonheart tried to reason with the young knight.

“Leo is right, kid. Give it up,” said Qrow.

“I didn’t ask for your opinions, I asked for the location. If you won’t give it to me, I’ll search for it myself,” said Jaune venomously.

Qrow sighed but fished out his Scroll. After a few taps, he sends it through a message to Jaune’s scroll.

After that, the group left, with Jaune eager to go to the lower levels.

“Jaune, wait up!” called Ruby as she, Nora, and Ren caught up with the knight.

“What are you doing here?” asked Jaune.

“We’re coming with you, silly,” said Nora. “We’re not going to let you go alone.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“All the more reason to come!” said Ruby. “I can’t believe you wanted to go alone.”

Jaune looked down. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“And neither of us want _you_ getting hurt! So that’s why we’re going together, so we can protect each other!”

Jaune smiled slightly. “You got a point, Rubes. Let's go."

* * *

Minstral is divided by levels. The higher levels were the wealthy and tourists lived. The lower you go the worse the living conditions were. In the lower levels, organized crime rules the streets. Between each level, there are gates that would close once an alarm would be triggered to prevent Grimm from entering the other levels. Each gate is manned by a couple of men from the Minstral Police or MP for short. When going between each level, MP would check the IDs of people coming through and ask for the reason for their visit. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule, one of them being Huntsman. And so, the group of young Huntsmen were able to enter lower levels without any problems. All of them were wearing cloaks to keep attention away from themselves. Ruby was taken aback by how terrible the lower levels were, garbage was everywhere and people were wearing dirty clothes. She looked around and couldn’t help but see what looked like drug exchanges. Her companions looked like they weren’t bothered like her.

“We’re almost there. One more level to go,” said Jaune from the front of the group.

"BROTHERS AND SISTERS! THIS IS OUR TIME TO RISE!" yelled a man dressed in White Fang uniform. "WE HAVE PROVEN THAT HUMANS CAN NOT KEEP US DOWN ANY LONGER! WE WILL TAKE OUR TRUE PLACE IN THE WORLD AS THE SUPREME RACE!”

The Faunus quickly gained the attention of RNJR and before his friends could stop him, Jaune walked towards the Fanus. In his mind the man could be a lead to find Cinder, considering she worked with the White Fang in destroying Vale. Before the man could say another word he was grabbed by the clocked knight and dragged into an alley, followed by his teammates. None of the locals would help him. They are smart enough not to stick their noses where they don't belong.

The Faunus was slammed into the wall and a sword was pressed to his neck. "Tell me where Cinder Fall is while you can still talk!”

The Faunus whimpered, his early bravado gone.

“Jaune,” whispered Ruby and touched his arm, but he didn’t relent.

“P-Please! I don’t know anything! I was just asked to gather as many followers as I can!” stuttered the Fanus fearfully.

“Why?”

“I don’t know! They didn’t tell me!”

“Who gave you the order?”

“HQ! All they told us is to get as many people as we can and wait for further orders!”

“’Us’? There are more of you in the city?”

“Y-yes. We have two warehouses in the city.”

“Give me their location.”

“W-what? I can’t do that! They’ll kill me if they found out that I betrayed them!”

“Well aren’t you in a predicament? Because if you don’t tell me, same result,” Jaune said and pressed the blade deeper in his captive’s throat, drawing a little blood.

The Faunus whimpered some more.

“Jaune, stop!” called Ruby, trying to pry him off the poor Fanus, but she had little luck.

“If you tell us, you get a chance to live. If you don’t and manage to get out of here alive and your comrades find out you talked to us they will kill you. Your only choice is to talk to us and make a run for it,” said Ren, trying to reason with the man. Not like he would let his brother kill him, but he didn’t need to know that.

That made the Fanus talk. He gave Jaune the location of two warehouses in the city, both on different levels. He told him that the warehouse he was staying were 20 people there, he didn't know how many are in the second one. Their equipment consists of their uniforms, normal automatic rifles, and grenades. Jaune contemplated killing his captive in case he decided to inform his friends, but eventually, he decided to knock him out. 

Team RNJR decided to inform the Minstral Police of their discovery, so they dragged the unconscious White Fang grunt to the nearest police station. Once they entered the police station, they noticed that although it was full of officers, the atmosphere seemed to be one of relaxation as most of them appeared to be on their break. Even the officer who took their statement looked positively bored and he even yawned a couple of times. Once he was done, he thanked them for their help in a monotone voice before disappearing through a door in the back. Jaune was able to glance for a moment before the door closed but he saw what appeared to be the officer’s lounge and inside several officers were near a round table, with cards on it, ready to play a game of poker.

“Well, that was a waste of time,” commented Nora. “What now?”

“It’s obvious that the MP won’t do anything about it. It’s up to us to clear out those warehouses,” responded Jaune with resolve.

“I don’t know…” said Ren uncertainly.

“What you don’t know? Those people are dangerous Ren! If we don’t stop them now, they will attack Minstral. It will be Beacon all over again!”

“I know that. But if we go out and do the MP’s work we could get in trouble with the local authorities and not to mention the Council. And we need the Council’s help in dealing with Spring,” said Ren calmly.

“But if we wait, we’ll lose the element of surprise, not to mention that might change locations or advance their plan!”

“I have an idea. Let’s tell uncle Qrow. He’ll know what to do,” said Ruby

Jaune wanted to deal with this problem now, but he relented. Despite being a drunk, Qrow is actually an experienced Huntsman. He would know what to do without stepping on any toes. Plus he was a licensed Huntsman and therefore he has more freedom than they do.

Since it was getting late, team RNJR decided to return to their rented house and come back tomorrow, much to Jaune's displeasure. Qrow returned much later, completely wasted with a teen named Oscar Pines who claimed he was Ozpin. At first team RNJR wasn't convinced, but when Oscar started to recount their time at Beacon and how his demeanor changed in an instant to that of the late Headmaster, their doubt faded away. Jaune glared at the man who played a part in Pyrrha's death as the flame inside him threaten to consume him, but he kept himself in check. He would have a private chat with Ozpin, but for now, he is an ally. The plan, for now, was simple: Qrow would gather Huntsman to help with Spring and they would train with Ozpin. So far, Jaune had no objections.

“There is something you should know,” said Jaune, drawing the attention of the group. “When we were out we came across a White Fang grunt. He told us that they have a presence in Minstral in the lower levels. We need to deal with them now before they become a problem.”

“Hmm, that is most disturbing news,” said Ozpin, thinking. “Yes, those terrorists are a problem that needs to be addressed, but we can’t make a spectacle about least we draw Leo’s attention to us.”

"So we need as few people as possible on this. Probably two," said Jaune. "Qrow could handle one warehouse and I'll handle the other."

“Alone? No way!” said Nora.

“Yeah, Jaune. It’s too dangerous,” Ruby put in her two cents.

“Sorry, but Ozpin is right. We can’t make a scene and you guys aren’t exactly stealthy. Besides, it’s not like they have any powerful hardware, you heard that grunt: regular rifles and grenades. If it makes you feel better I’ll take the one with the 20 people since we know what to expect and Qrow can take the other.”

“But…”

“I’m afraid Mr. Arc is right. You will draw unwanted attention and we can’t have that. And since Mr. Arc volunteered, I think we should let him.”

“Well, that settles it. Let’s go kid,” said Qrow as he got up.

Jaune followed him wordlessly, ignoring the concerned looks from his friends.

* * *

Jaune and Qrow walked side by side through the lower levels of Minstral, their faces hidden by their cloaks.

“Did you went to that bar?” asked Qrow.

“Bar? You mean the location you send me? No, I haven’t. I’m going tomorrow with the others.”

“I rather you don’t. That place is dangerous. I prefer if you didn’t involve Ruby and the others into revenge.”

“Oh, but getting Ruby involved in Ozpin’s war is okay, right?” Jaune fired back

Qrow flinched at that, much to Jaune’s pleasure.

“And I would think that they would want to be involved. Pyrrha was their friend. Shouldn’t they avenge her?”

“Not everyone thirsts for revenge like you kid.”

“If they cared about her they should,” said Jaune harshly.

“Look, you can go ahead and seek revenge, but don’t drag Ruby down the hole with you,” said Qrow firmly, glaring at the younger male.

“Right back at you. You can be Ozpin’s pawn, but don’t turn Ruby into his toy,” Jaune said, glaring right back.

The two held their staring contest for a couple of moments before looking at the road ahead. Before long they arrived at their destination. “Looks like this is your stop, kid. Mine is a level below you. If you need help contact me. We’ll text each other when we are done.”

“Okay.”

“Kid, I know it’s too late to ask but, you do know that ‘take care of’ means kill, right?”

“I know,” came the simple response.

“And you’re okay with this?”

“I am,” Jaune responded simply once again.

Qrow sighed and left. He would be lying if he were to say that he wasn't disturbed by the young Arc's behavior.

_Although, I shouldn't be surprised. Kid is obsessed with revenge. I wonder how long until he turns his blade against us since he thinks we are also responsible for his partner's death. Not like we wouldn’t have it coming. We did some pretty shady shit._

* * *

Jaune surveyed the warehouse, looking for easy access points, guards, or any movement, but he hadn't seen anything. There were no windows or cracks that he could slip in, the only way to enter the warehouse is through the main doors. Also, the place looked completely disserted.

_Are we too late? Did they move?_

He decided that he would wait a couple of minutes before going in. As he waited his thoughts drifted to what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to kill everyone in that building. A year ago, that thought would have revolted him, but now he finds that it doesn't bother him at all. To him, it feels like when his mother told him to clean his room or take out the trash: a chore that he didn't want to do it, but something he had no problem doing. He frowned at how he had managed to turn murder into such a mundane thing.

_If I think that murder is no big deal, then will I turn into a mass murderer? Will I attack not only my friends but also innocents too? Will I turn just like Tyrian?_

He then pictured himself murdering his friends and the thought just sickened him. He could never do such a thing. A part of him was disgusted that he would even have to think about it, but a larger part of him is relieved to know that he wasn’t just as deranged as Tyrian.

Just then, two White Fang goons exited the warehouse. They weren’t dressed in their uniforms nor do they appeared arm. It looked like they were going out to buy food and supplies. Seeing this as his chance, Jaune moved from his hiding spot and got behind the two criminals before stopping. He wondered if this was right, killing those two people even if they are terrorists. Maybe he should just knock them out and call Qrow to handle it. But then he remembered…

He remembered how his fellow Beacon students were gunned down by the White Fang…

He remembered the cruel smile Cinder had on that tower as she murdered Pyrrha…

And he remembered Pyrrha’s final words…

_Jaune…I love you…_

_I…I’m happy…that I got to see you…one last time_

Jaune drew his swords and quickly stabbed the unsuspected grunts in the back of their necks. The two Faunus gasped and gurgled on their own blood before dropping on the group dead. Jaune watched the scene unfold and he thought only one thing:

_This is not a problem._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)


End file.
